CineKink has announced the opening night selections for its fifth annual film festival, CineKink NYC, which is scheduled to unwind February 26-March 2, 2008. A trio of works by New York-based directors will be the centerpiece of the event’s Kick-Off Gala and Opening Night Screening taking place on Tuesday, February 26th, a pansexual celebration that will also feature music, live performances and a fundraising silent auction.

The key offering for the evening, Richard Kimmel’s SCHWARZWALD, is a rich, modern tapestry that combines elements of Druidic ritual with the passionate, leather-clad goings-on of NYC’s annual Black Party. Following the travails of the Black Prince as he is pursued through the forest and kidnapped by underlings of the conniving Black Queen, the film stars Buck Angel, the world famous female-to-male transsexual porn star, along with a cast of literal thousands, and a continuous mix of music that culminates in what its creators are touting as “the movie you can dance to!”

“After introducing Buck Angel to New York audiences with our 2004 festival, we’re delighted he’ll be back on screen to open up this year’s proceedings,” said Lisa Vandever, Co-Founder and Director of CineKink. “And we’re especially thrilled that he’ll be wearing a spectacular blue frock through part of it – and cavorting in the woods with half-naked men through much of the rest. It’s a truly gorgeous piece of filmmaking.”

Also featured in the CineKink NYC opening night line-up is Leah Meyerhoff’s TEAM QUEEN, a colorful music video for the group Triple Creme that features some of the best in New York burlesque in a gender-bending, fire-breathing, tassel-twirling, post-punk rock ‘n roll extravaganza.

And rounding out the selections, A DOG’S TALE, a first-time directorial offering from photographer Steven Speliotis, is a sensuous and layered reverie on control and submission, longing and desire.

“We didn’t set out to highlight New York directors necessarily, that was just a happy accident,” continued Vandever. “We knew we wanted to do something splashy for our fifth annual kick off and we were looking for works that would hold up to presentation in a party environment.”

SCHWARZWALD’s Richard Kimmel is primarily a theater director, writer and producer, with experience in creating, in addition to the live version of SCHWARZWALD, such performance events as “Pandora” and Jennifer Hudson’s New York concert debut “One Night Only.” He is also Executive Director of The Box, a venue on the city’s Lower East Side, and Artistic Director of Cannon Company, a performance ensemble.

TEAM QUEEN’s Leah Meyerhoff is currently pursuing a Master’s in Film at New York University. A Student Academy Awards finalist, Leah’s previous works have been a hit on the international film festival circuit and she is working on her first feature film.

The first-time director of A DOG’S TALE, Steven Speliotis, is an art and portrait photographer whose work has been exhibited in solo shows in New York and abroad, and is highlighted in the book “Asian Bondage.”

With over 70 selections set to screen over the course of the event, CineKink NYC will feature a specially-curated program of films and videos that cuts across orientations to celebrate and explore a wide diversity of sexuality. In addition to screenings, the event will also feature a short film competition, audience choice awards, presentations, parties and a closing afterglow celebration.

The full program line-up for CineKink NYC, as well as additional details on the kick-off gala and advance tickets for the festival, will be available online beginning Monday, February 4th.

Buck Angel has made history as the world’s first female-to-male transsexual (FTM) Porn Star.

He’s an entrepreneur with a look and style all his own. Angel has gone from pioneering an entirely new adult industry genre (FTM Porn), to appearing in mainstream press on the Howard Stern Show, to working with major production companies including Titan Media.

Recently, Angel signed a major distribution deal with one of Europe’s largest DVD Distributors, Shots Video. International demand has led him to exclusive management by FL Promotions in Europe. In 2007, Angel made history again, when he became the first FTM to win the prestigious Transsexual Performer of the Year Award from AVN.

Currently, Angel is preparing for an upcoming European tour and release of a ground-breaking adult feature Buckback Mountain.

More information on Buck can be found at his website, www.buckangel.com

Buck spoke with Mark Adnum via email in March 2007.

MARK ADNUM: Love the name. How’d you choose it?

BUCK ANGEL: I love the name too! Thanks. Well I wanted a very butch name to go along with my super-masculine porn image and “Buck” is such a great macho name. It is not all that common, so it seemed just right. As for the Angel part, well, that’s my wife’s last name. She happens to be one of the most amazing and lucky people I have ever met. So I put those two names together and bam! It was perfect.

Everyone comments on what a great name it is, and I think it sticks in peoples minds. One interviewer said it was “the perfect mix of masculine and feminine,” but I had never thought of it that way before. Though I have to agree I think it is. Not that I am in any way feminine. But I guess having a pussy makes people think of feminine (funny how that works, huh!)

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